Simply Imaginary
by Eh-merica
Summary: Hetalia Human!AU in which Alfred is a bit mentally cracked and has an imaginary best friend. Arthur grows concerned when Alfred loses yet another job from talking to 'no one and disturbing the other workers.' Arthur ends up taking Alfred to a psych ward where the American meets a very familiar looking doctor. - Rated for a bit of language AmeCan dead ahead!


"_Alfie…?"_

"Mattie…? Mattie! Where have you been?! help me! Please!"

"_Alfie w-what's happening? Why can't you move your arms?"_

"Mattie! Mattie _please!_ Please just come unstrap me! T-then we can get out of here and go play like we used to-!"

"_I.. I can't do that Alfie. I'm sorry…"_

* * *

The boy was different. That much was clear from the start. Wide blue eyes always looking around the room, laughing and grinning at thin air. Sure, Arthur had his fair share of imaginary friends when he was younger.. But he had out grown them by the age of seven. It was different for his friend though. Alfred F. Jones, the once wide blue-eyed boy, still laughed and grinned at thin air, talking to a figure that was obviously not there. Now, at the age of twenty-three years old he was still a young fellow, but he wasn't young enough for that type of behavior to be acceptable.

Arthur's concern grew each day he would visit Alfred. Each and every time Alfred would introduce his _friend_ Mattie, and each and every time Arthur would play along. He wasn't sure if anyone had told Alfred that Mattie didn't really exist and that it was just a figment of Alfred's imagination, and he wasn't sure if Alfred would react well if he was told that one of his closest friends wasn't actually real. He was already a bit mentally cracked, and that crack would most definitely grow larger if Arthur were to tell Alfred the truth… Oh well. Arthur certainly didn't want to be that bloke that would mentally shatter Alfred. But as he knew, one day he would have to, and that day was approaching quickly…

* * *

Arthur's knuckles rapped upon the teal door twice, sighing, he shifted his feet on the front porch and looked around. His surroundings weren't much.. Sure, his friend had a rather extravagant house… But it was almost in the middle on no where. Arthur had come to visit 'the middle of no where' yet again due to hearing from his friend that he had lost yet another job. For the same reason as last time...

"Poor bloke..." The Brit sighed, frowning and shaking his head. It wasn't necessarily his friends fault that he lost another job. He'd always been a bit... _Different._

The leaves on the trees rustled in the wind, making Arthur's frown turn into a smile. If he closed his eyes and listened, their rustling almost sounded like rain, and he almost felt like he was at home, in England. It almost drew him away from the sad subject at hand.

Arthur was quickly stolen from his day dreaming of home when the large front door opened rather suddenly, revealing a man with wide blue eyes and an award-winning smile. Alfred F. Jones.

"Hey Artie-! Haven't seen you in a while dude!" Alfred beamed, moving aside from the doorway, motioning for Arthur to come in.

The Brit frowned at the nickname. Alfred had called him that name since the two had first met and he had never quite taken a liking to it. Sighing again, Arthur steps into Alfred's home, taking off his jacket and hanging it on the coat rack. Nothing out of the ordinary for his visits.

"It's Arthur, Alfred. Just Arthur. Not Artie, not Art, _not _Eyebrows. Just Arthur."

Alfred rolls his eyes, "Yeah, yeah.. We've been over this hundreds of times before…! Huh..?" He raises a blonde eyebrow, looking behind him and nodding, laughing to himself. "Arthur, you remember Mattie, right?"

Arthur plasters a fake smile on to his face, nodding almost robotically. "W-why of course!" He steps to the side, looking behind Alfred and waving. Just like every other time, this was simply routine. "Hello Mattie…"

The mood quickly changed to awkward, Alfred's aura shifting from happy to that of confused. It almost seemed as if the air had thickened around the two, Arthur becoming slightly flustered as Alfred stood completely still, just looking at him with a puzzled expression. Had Arthur done something wrong? He stuck to their routine…

"Arthur Mattie's not standing behind me anymore. He's standing next to me…"

'Bollocks'… Arthur thought as he swallowed thickly. _This was definitely not part of the routine._

"Dude! Don't be rude. Say hi to Mattie properly…!" The American motioned to his left, nothing was there.

"Alfred…" _Well, apparently the day had approached quicker than Arthur had expected…_

"I mean, c'mon man! You're always goin' on and on about how you're a gentleman…" Alfred sighs, ignoring Arthur and crossing his arms.

"Alfred."

Alfred ignores the Briton once again, looking down at 'Mattie.' "I'm right, right? He's always talking about his 'gentlemanly' traits!"

"Alfred!" This time around Arthur raised his voice, using a stern almost fatherly like tone, snapping Alfred's attention back to him.

Sighing, Alfred rolls his eyes, "Artie, I was talking to Mat-"

"I can't see Mattie." The nickname flies over Arthur's head as he crosses his arms, swallowing thickly as he shakes his head.

Yet another wave of awkwardness and confusion flowed from Alfred. He didn't understand… What did that thick browed Brit mean he couldn't see Mattie? He was obviously standing right next to Alfred! Had the roots of Arthur's eyebrows grown further into his head and were now starting to mess with _his_ head?

Alfred looked down to Mattie. There he was, clear as day. Just a child… small and in a gown of white, his blonde wavy hair falling just past his jaw and a small curl sprouting from the top of his head. Unlike Alfred, Mattie hadn't aged. He'd been this small ever since Alfred had come across him when he was five. Mattie's eyes were a slightly duller purple than they were normally.. They looked sad… looking up at his taller and older friend, the pale child frowned.

"_What does he mean by 'he can't see me,' Alfie?"_

Alfred frowns and shakes his head softly, looking back up to Arthur. "What d'ya mean you can't see him? You've seen him before…"

Arthur sighs, looking around the room and shuffling his feet, biting his cheek. "No, no I haven't Alfred… I can't see him, I can't hear him… Alfred, Mattie is simply imaginary… he's just your imagination."

Alfred's frown deepens. Ok. This had to be some class A bullshit that Arthur was pulling… It was probably some prank. Then again, when had Arthur ever been known for pranks? That's right, never… Gritting his teeth, the taller blond looked down at Mattie again. His frown deepens even more when he sees tear in Mattie's eyes.

"_Alfie… I exist.. I-I'm here. I'm right here…"_

Quickly looking back to Arthur, Alfred's confused expression changes to an angry and distraught one, "Arthur look what you did! Ya' made Mattie cry! It's ok Mattie, you totally exis-"

Now, besides pranks, Arthur has never been known for an extremely patient and understanding attitude… And this charade had gone on for much too long. Almost sixteen years to long.

"Alfred. It's all in your imagination. It has been this whole time! Mattie. Doesn't. Exist! Alfred, you need help… You can't keep talking to him. All of your past employers have fired you because they think you're absolutely bonkers!" Arthur raised his voice again, taking a few steps towards his friend.

And Alfred shattered.

* * *

((**AN: **Woo hello possible readers! It's now 4:30 a.m. and a plot bunny was eating away at me...! So here this is! ^^;; I might continue, so if you're interested... just keep waiting I guess...? Or leave a review. What ever :3 Thanks for reading!))


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